


(Thank God) Some Things Never Change

by PrincessPeasant



Series: The Gangster and The Geek [2]
Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, One sided crush (as of now), slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 15:09:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6013360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessPeasant/pseuds/PrincessPeasant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The past months, maybe year even-she isn't sure anymore, of Amiee's life have been nothing but change and moving. Nothing solid, nothing stable. Until she hears the distress call from 101, a place she thinks, maybe, has been untouched but the events that caused this continous moving hell. She knew she was wrong, everything has changed down here too. Well, almost everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Thank God) Some Things Never Change

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work in a while and my first work for Fallout 3. Any feed back would be nice, as well as writing to keep characters in character! Anyway, thank you and enjoy.

"Wait here Fawkes, as much as I'd like to take you with me I think it'd be best for your safety to just...wait outside for me."

"Of course my friend. But are you sure you will be okay? You seem rather nervous..." The hulking being of former man towered over most everyone, but especially Amiee. Though, Considering she barely came up to most grown men's shoulders didn't make that a hard accomplishment. The small woman returned her companion's worried expression with a weak smile.

"I'll be okay. It's just...been a while. Since I've been home..." _And God only knows how well she'll be received._

She gave Fawkes a little wave before disappearing into the depths towards Vault 101's door. The message Amata sent out gave her some hope that her friends would at least welcome her back, but then again she didn't have many friends. It wasn't that she was unlikable, she just kept to herself. The only two people who were actually friends were, of course, Amata and Paul when he wasn't trying to save face in front of the Tunnel Snakes. But other than that...

She was alone.

* * *

 

 

She entered the password into the control panel in front of the vault door, watching steam blow out as the alarm blared as it slowly rolled open. Crouching down, Amiee slowly crept her way into the vault entrance, unsure if the Overseer would think to have anyone waiting for her if she tried to return. As she slunk towards the common area she heard a voice that made her blood run cold.

"Stop right there!"

Vault security. No doubt with orders to kill her on sight. She closed her eyes and waited for the gunfire and to feel a bullet pierce her skin, but it didn't come. Instead, she was taken through a loop when the harsh voice turned softer, familiar.

"Wait...Amiee? Is that you?" Officer Gomez. Oh please be the same kind man as before... "Hey, come on kid it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. I know what happened back then wasn't your fault...it's okay." At that she opened her eyes, still unusually large and bright hazel despite the wasteland dulling everything else about her with dirt and grime. She looked up at the softly smiling man she had know from childhood and fought back the urge to cry. It was like she was little again, and hiding from Butch's torment only to be found by and comforted by Officer Gomez.

_Thank God some things never change._

"H-Hey..." She answered weakly as she got up, voice threatening to break at any moment. "I-It's been...a while. I heard Amata's signal...what's happened?"

Officer Gomez gave her a run down of what had happened after she left, the rebellion and the Overseer not budging on his views. She was horrified when she saw Freddie almost get shot. This wasn't what her father meant to happen...but of course he didn't mean for her to be practically forced out into the wasteland with nothing to do but look for him. He didn't think through the consequences of his actions in that regard. But, neither did she honestly.

Officer Gomez bid her farewell and good luck after he lead her to the outskirts of the rebel 'territory'. From there she wandered in slight confusion among the disheveled vault until she was greeted by Amata with a hug that almost knocked Amiee off her feet.

"You're alive! Oh thank God! You got my message and came back! You wouldn't believe what happened after you left!" Amata had tears in the corner of her eyes and gleeful grin on her face, which Amiee could only return with a weak, wary one.

"Of course I came back when I heard it...and Officer Gomez told me. I'm...I'm sorry. It was our fault what happened...If...If dad had just thought things through a bit better..." Amiee sighed, memory of her father's horrific death still fresh in her head. Even though it had happened weeks ago, she still had yet to even get to cry over it let alone properly mourn. She had to escape from the Enclave with Doctor Li, get to the Citadel, do this, go there, move move move. Never stop. Never let things solidify.  Never pause even to breathe.

"Don't worry about that now. What matters is that your hear and now maybe we can _do_ something about this! So that those who died wouldn't have died to protect some convoluted lie." That's right, Amiee wasn't sure who was even still around after all that chaos. When she questioned Amata about she got the heartbreaking news about Paul. Another death there was no time to mourn for.

* * *

 

 

What little of her mood was dashed away and Amiee no longer wanted to continue the conversation, ending it with a tense agreement to try and stop the Overseer. Whether that was actually possible or not was beyond her but she had to try at least.

When she exited the clinic, head hung slightly she was greeted by something all to familiar. The calling of the nickname 'nosebleed' and a sudden punch to the jaw which, for once, didn't send her down on her ass. While still small, she had gained some muscle in her adventures. She blinked in surprise as she looked up at Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake King and her longstanding crush. (Something neither Amata nor Paul understood.)

He was still in his Tunnel Snake jacket, with his hair slicked back like in a pre-war teen movie, face in a familiar scowl as he began ranting to her about all the problems she and her father had caused. But she wasn't listening, she was far too focused on the fact that he was still the same ol' Butch. The same Butch who'd trip her and tease her and yank on her hair. The same Butch that'd make her cry and make her confused. But by God...

_He was still the same._

He was still the same...even after all this Hell. The her father escaping and the mad goose chase all over the wasteland to find him, his death, dealing with the Enclave and coming back to this chaos that use to be their home; he was still the same. Even though her auburn hair was dirty and greasy and falling out of the half assed bun she put it in, even though she was covered in dirt and grime and had become several shades darker from the sun, even though her large eyes were wide and tired, even though she had killed numerous people and creatures, even though she certainly wasn't the same meek and shy girl who fled the vault in fear for her life so long ago he was still the same.

He was still the same cocky asshole who did whatever he wanted, but really and truly wasn't all that bad as he wanted people to think. He was still the Butch DeLoria she came to know and love from afar, the Butch who's jacket she slept with to keep the nightmares at bay. He was still Butch.

And for the first time in months, Amiee began to cry. And cry hard. Big tears streaking away the layer of dust on her face as her shoulders shook with hiccuping sobs. Butch had seen her cry before, but he didn't expect this to make her cry-she could tell by his wide eyes and stuttering over weak attempts at getting her to stop. But eventually the sobs began to be peppered with laughs, both joyful and broken, as she looked up at him with a genuine grin and said,

"Thank God, some things never change."

 


End file.
